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From Amazon
The mystery novels of Peter Robinson (Aftermath is his 12th) have only increased with power and intelligence. It's a dirty little secret of the crime-fiction genre that many of its writers simply spin their wheels, repeating a successful formula and hoping, if not assuming, that their fans won't notice. Writers like Robinson, however, actually seem to grow in front of our eyes, delivering books of greater complexity each time. His previous two books, Cold Is the Grave and In a Dry Season, were equally novels of character and novels of crime and Aftermath is no exception.
Like recent books by fellow English writers Reginald Hill, Val McDermid and Stephen Booth, Aftermath centres upon a grim case in which attractive young girls have disappeared, victims of a cunning psychotic killer whose identity is well concealed behind a façade of respectability. Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks of the Yorkshire Police is in charge of the case, but he's also got unavoidable personal distractions. His estranged wife is pregnant by her lover and wants the divorce he's been dragging his heels over.
There is nothing cosy about the kind of English mysteries written by Peter Robinson, even if they do take place in picturesque rural villages. He's not afraid of gore, deviance, violence or any of the baser emotions and it's a raw old world behind the hedgerows and cottage walls. If Aftermath is your first taste of his tough-tender sensibility, it won't be surprising if you are soon hooked on the work of one of today's most accomplished practitioners of detective fiction. --Otto Penzler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
Dark, darker, darkest endless shades of ebony seem to envelop Acting Det. Superintendent Alan Banks in this grim, compelling, character-driven mystery (after 2000's Cold Is the Grave). As the head of the North Yorkshire half of a two-county joint task force, Banks is helping look into the disappearances of five young girls. As the title implies, the answer comes early on in an explosive scene where the girls' grisly fate is discovered. But Banks is left with the aftermath: a cop facing possible charges for excessive force, a woman who may be a victim or may be guilty of monstrous crimes, an "extra" body and one that isn't where it ought to be. Banks also faces plenty of personal challenges as his wife, Sandra, still pressing for divorce, finds a new way to shock him, while sometime girlfriend and colleague, Annie Cabbot, seeks to change their relationship. Robinson's never tackled darker themes: child abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence, torture and murder. And while he never indulges in needlessly graphic descriptions, it is still horrific stuff. Introspective, thoughtful and plagued by uncertainties, Banks battles to maintain focus as the investigation plods on. As always, the author scrupulously details the police work, from the forensics to the efforts of a consultant psychologist (i.e., a profiler), who delves into a past case that may be related. A proven master of the British police procedural, Robinson should find a large audience for this gripping, psychologically astute tale. Agent, Dominick Abel. (Oct. 9)Forecast: Stronger than Cold Is the Grave, which won the Anthony and the Ellis awards, this novel stands to rack up even bigger sales, fueled by a five-city author tour and 25-city national radio campaign.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
An unusual take on police procedural,
By
This review is from: Aftermath: An Inspector Banks Novel (Paperback)
I quite enjoy the Inspector Banks novels, which I find quite a pleasant tool to while away quiet hours. As a series, they are like many others, although I do not say this disparagingly - crime novels make for a wonderful escape, but after Patricia Cornwell, Mark Billingham, Kathy Reichs, they all do start to blur a little bit.What makes this novel stand out is that it begins with the apprehension of a serial killer and then goes on to deal with the fallout - hence the novel's title. I obviously don't want to give anything away, but watching things unfold made for a fascinating experience. The atmosphere of this book is dark, even eerie at times, and lingered with me after I finished the book. Great read.
5.0 out of 5 stars
If You Like Banks You Will Love This,
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This review is from: Aftermath: An Inspector Banks Novel (Paperback)
In reviewing the book I will not re-hash or give away the plot.Let me just say that this is a good Peter Robinson Banks mystery that does not disappoint. It has some unusual twists and a suspended fellow police offer. In any case it does what it is supposed to do. You are oblivious to your outer world as you read. Peter is underrated as an author. Good stuff. Jack in Toronto
5.0 out of 5 stars
Realistic, but entertaining.,
By bill runyon (Indiana) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Aftermath: A Novel of Suspense (Hardcover)
Robinson does a fabulous job of combining some of the realisticdetails of violent crime, and police work, along with making the story an entertaining read. There is a fine line between the technical details of crime and police work, on the one hand, and the entertaining, readable story-telling on the other, but this author knows exactly how to handle this line, and "Aftermath" is a masterpiece of combining the 2 facets of crime-writing. This book contains a few necessary "dirty" details, but no more than is required for this story. Anyone who complains about too much detail of blood, vicious and depraved motives, and twisted personalities have no concept of what is present in genuine crime and the shocks real police officers encounter. The author touches on, and explores a bit, the very complex questions of the level of responsibility of a woman involved in a bloody crime along with her male partner. The fact that he doesn't present some veneer-thin explanation, that might be easy to understand, shows his understanding of the difficulty of explaining and categorizing some of these relationships. Robinson has said this novel wasn't based on the infamous Bernardo-Homolka case in Ontario, but there are some very parallel facts present, and we should give credit for some inspiration from a very real, and more horrific, case than his work here could convey. Here is a work that is thought-provoking, realistic and quite
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